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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29601870">The Greatest Challenge</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottomoftheheap/pseuds/bottomoftheheap'>bottomoftheheap</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(sorta) - Freeform, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Triwizard Tournament, goblet of fire - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:27:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29601870</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottomoftheheap/pseuds/bottomoftheheap</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kipper Dixon is visiting Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. It's not long before she strikes up a friendship with Cedric Diggory, after bumping into him on her way to place her name in the Goblet of Fire. </p>
<p>When Kippi is chosen as the Beauxbatons champion for the Triwizard Tournament, she decides they can't be anything more than friends. </p>
<p>Cedric is determined to change that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cedric Diggory/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Greatest Challenge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Florean Beaumont and Didina Vinet belong to my wonderful friend Lou :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kippi couldn’t say that the consequences of her own actions hadn’t really crossed her mind. But as she sat, wide-eyed, staring at the small slip of parchment between Professor Dumbledore’s bony fingers, they had become all too real. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kipper Dixon?” Dumbledore called out again, looking out over the small sea of Beauxbatons students, scanning the crowd for her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi couldn’t move, too stunned at the fact she had actually been chosen to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been a silly idea, putting her name in the Goblet of Fire. The prize money had been too enticing, too promising; a surefire way to begin a new life after she graduated from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. She never imagined she’d be one of the chosen ones. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi didn’t have time to think about it, as her friends lifted her by her arms and all but shoved her down the aisle. She peeked back at them — a terrible idea, really — and she noticed how hurt they looked. Didina’s lips were pressed in a thin line and her eyes were locked with Kippi’s in a death glare. She knew she’d be in trouble later. Florean, however, just looked sad. She knew, deep down, that she should have told them, but she had convinced herself that they would have never let her put her name in in the first place. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She finally pulled her gaze away from them, acutely aware of how quiet the Great Hall had become as she stalled. She looked out over the crowd, earning a reassuring thumbs up from Fleur, who had pushed her to enter in the first place. Though she tried to look excited for Kippi, her emotions didn’t reach her eyes, and Kippi knew Fleur was disappointed that she hadn’t been chosen. A pang of guilt shot through her, but she kept on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>Winnie</em>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sweet, sweet Winnie. Kippi hadn’t even thought about Winnie when she had dropped her name into the fire, and she regretted it now as Winnie caught her eye. Her younger sister’s eyes had begun to well up with tears, threatening to spill over at any moment. Kippi had barely managed to mouth an “I’m sorry,” before she was pulled into another room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But let’s leave that for later. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On the evening of October 30th, 1994, Kipper Dixon found herself strutting through the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, accompanied by her friends and classmates, to partake in the Triwizard Tournament. An event that promoted unity between Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts, the Triwizard Tournament was as exciting as it was deadly. Kippi had only read about it in books, never dreaming that she would ever see one. It had been discontinued sometime around 1792 for being too dangerous, so she was shocked to find out that it was being held once again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Entering herself as a competitor in the tournament had been an idea she never planned to entertain; not when Florean’s hands moved deftly the morning of the announcement, asking<em>, ‘Are you thinking about entering?’</em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Or when Fleur had stated they should enter together, one last big risk before they would go their separate ways when the year ended. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Or even when Didina mentioned she was going to put her name in, a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her lips, a silent, teasing invitation that Kippi should join her, even though she knew Kippi would never. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What caused Kippi to even consider entering was Albus Dumbledore’s short speech about the tournament, the phrase<em> ‘one thousand Galleon prize’</em> playing on a loop in her brain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A thousand Galleons was a lot of money. More money than Kippi knew she would ever see again, money that could absolutely catapult her at full speed toward her dreams — a flat in the middle of Paris, with a job at St. Delano’s Hospital as a Healing Specialist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed silly, sure, when she could very easily just ask Didina for the money. Didina’s family had more money than they knew what to do with, and Didina was practically throwing it at anyone who asked to spite her family. And though Kippi knew that Didina didn’t care if people took advantage of her for her money, because she reveled in being able to drain her parents’ bank accounts at any moment, she didn’t feel right taking her money. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was such a small chance she would even be chosen, with most of her year entering, so Kippi decided she would take the risk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi spent most of the morning of the 31st psyching herself up, trying to gain the courage to tell her friends what she was planning to do. However, as she looked at their faces over breakfast in the Great Hall, her courage fell short. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How was she supposed to tell them, knowing she would be instantly talked out of it? There was no way she would be able to hold her own against Florean and Didina, her two closest friends in the world. Their opinions mattered to her more than anything, and she just knew she would do whatever they suggested instead if given the chance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she didn’t give them the chance. </span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later that day, Kippi had managed to shake them off, leaving them to their picnic in the courtyard, excusing herself to go to the bathroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt entirely wrong to lie to them, a concept so foreign to Kippi, who trusted the two with everything. There had never been any reason to lie to them before, but she reminded herself that this reason was perfectly valid. She had to do this. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, after a few wrong turns due to inaccurate directions (she’d have to give that tall, freckled redhead and his short friend with her shoes untied a piece of her mind later), Kippi had found her way to the entrance hall, the large room that housed the Goblet of Fire. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She hesitantly dipped her hand into the pocket of her uniform, her fingers wrapping around the small piece of parchment with her name written neatly in the middle. She ran her thumb over it, once, twice, three times as she surveyed the room, trying once again to summon the courage she needed. Several students lingered in the room; some seated on the elevated benches around the perimeter of the room, watching curiously as people dropped their parchment pieces into the goblet, others just standing around, as if they had nothing better to do. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she finally felt ready, nearly five minutes later, she pulled the slip of parchment from her pocket and took a step forward toward the goblet, her head lowered and staring at her feet. Her foot had barely touched the ground before she bumped into something solid, taken aback, chastising herself for not watching where she was going. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The solid something turned out to be a solid someone — a tall, handsome young man in Hogwarts robes adorned with little accents of yellow and black.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi looked up at him apprehensively, an apology on the tip of her tongue, but he only smiled down at her, putting her at ease immediately. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry,” the young man apologized, running a hand through his hair, “You alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi nodded, wanting to correct him, as she was the one who bumped into him, but something about the boy told her he would only shrug it off. “I’m alright, thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here,” the boy started, sidestepping out of Kippi’s way and gesturing to the goblet, “You go on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I couldn’t,” Kippi shook her head, clutching her piece of parchment as she, too, sidestepped the way he had. “You were there first.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I insist.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, so do I.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy only beamed down at her, quirking an eyebrow at her stony face. “It would seem we’re at a standstill.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi smiled at that, crossing her arms over her chest. “It would seem so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How about a compromise, then?” The boy mused, extending a hand in Kippi’s direction. “We do it together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi’s eyes moved to his outreached hand, her own eyebrow quirking upwards. Slowly, she reached toward him and took it in her own, giving a curt nod. His hand was warm and soft, yet firm as he held onto her tightly, providing her with a comfort she hadn’t realized she needed. It felt good to have another person with her as she took this leap, even if it was a stranger. She felt less alone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Together, then,” Kippi’s smile widened to mirror the boy’s, as he led them to the goblet, planting his feet firmly on the concrete floor beneath them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy looked up at the goblet, then back down at Kippi, his mischievous grin melting into a friendly smile. Kippi could see that he knew she was nervous. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ready?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi only nodded as the boy began to count.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“One… two… three!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both of them lifted their arms toward the goblet, pieces of parchment in their hands, and Kippi had to stand on her tiptoes. The flames sprouted higher then, lapping at the little pieces of parchment, crackling loudly as a few lingering students clapped lazily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” The boy asked, as if he could hear Kippi’s thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not at all, actually,” Kippi shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest again, feeling a little more comfortable than before, “If anything, I expected a little more pomp and circumstance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy laughed at that, extending his hand toward her again. “I’m Cedric. Cedric Diggory.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi took his hand in hers, this time less hesitantly, giving it a firm shake. “I’m Kipper,” She smiled softly, “Kippi for short.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kippi,” Cedric repeated, a goofy grin on his face as he let out a short chuckle, “I like that.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi found herself flushing at the statement, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I ought to get going,” Cedric turned his head to peek at his friends, a boy and a girl with their fingers interlocked, waiting patiently at the entrance for him, “Best of luck to you, Kippi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you, Cedric.” Kippi gave a nod, smiling up at him, “And thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cedric only grinned again before jogging off to meet his friends, leaving Kippi by the goblet, wondering if the warmth she felt was from the flames or the interaction she’d just had with the handsome young man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She decided it was the former. </span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Kippi returned to her friends in the courtyard, they had just finished cleaning up their picnic, helping each other fold their soft blanket. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You were gone for quite some time,” Didina mused, as she took the blanket from Florean’s hands, tucking it under her arm so she could sign, “Did you get lost?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did, actually,” Kippi nodded, her fingers moving surprisingly smoothly, despite how nervous she was, “Some <em>conard</em> and his girlfriend gave me the wrong directions. Incredibly rude.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>‘We thought you might have had some secret rendezvous to attend to,’</em> Florean teased, dodging Kippi’s hand as it shot out toward his shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi, despite playing it off easily, couldn’t help but feel nervous at his statement. Did they know?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She talked herself down, knowing that there was no logical way for them to know. They’d been out here, in the courtyard, the whole time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ha, ha, ha, Florean,” Kippi rolled her eyes, “I’ve only been here for a day. You put too much faith in me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Florean merely shrugged, a teasing smile on his face, <em>‘You managed to get Alexandre Frossard to follow you around like a lost puppy dog in your fifth year,’</em> He reminded her, to which Kippi groaned audibly,<em> ‘That is a triumph within itself. You know he thinks he’s better than all of us.’</em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“While that may be true,” Kippi pinched the bridge of her nose as she recalled the way Alexandre had been at her beck and call for a solid year, “It’s not like I asked for that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>‘You have natural charm,’</em> Florean shrugged again, earning another eye roll from Kippi, which caused Didina to snicker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very charming, indeed,” Didina joked as Kippi made a face at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi waved her hand dismissively, rolling her eyes for a third time. “Come on, we ought to get to lessons.”</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi had almost made it through her lessons without raising any suspicions about what she had done earlier that morning. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the Triwizard Tournament, first and foremost, was created out of unity, a new policy had been implemented: The students from each school of magic would be required to sit in on lessons from the other schools, in order to see all the different types of magic being taught. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi was in the middle of a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, taught by Hogwarts Professor Hagrid, when things began to go downhill. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first red flag that presented itself, however, was Cedric Diggory, shooting a wink in Kippi’s direction the moment he saw her strolling into the forest with Didina. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Didina had caught it just milliseconds before Kippi did, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked between the two. As observant as she was when it came to Kippi and her feelings, she just narrowly missed the way Kippi’s face drained of color at Cedric’s wink. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If Didina had any questions about the short interaction, she didn’t ask them, something Kippi was immensely grateful for as her heart started to pound, threatening to beat right out of her chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second red flag to come was right in the middle of the lesson, when Hagrid suggested that the students break off into groups to search for Bowtruckles, heavily encouraging some intermingling in order to get to know each other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi could have thrown up. She wanted to take off in the other direction, find a group of strangers to join so she could avoid Cedric, but Didina, with the memory of him winking at Kippi still fresh in her mind, had other ideas. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on,” Didina took Kippi’s hand, nearly dragging her through the coarse dirt beneath them toward Cedric and his friends, “I want to know why he winked at you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi, convinced her heart might leap out of her throat at any second, did her best to try to pry her hand out of Didina’s grip, but it was no use. Once Didina had a plan, she didn’t let up until she saw it through. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mind if we join you?” Didina asked, as she strolled up casually to Cedric and his friends. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was hoping you might, actually,” Cedric beamed, his eyes locked on Kippi, who cowered a little behind Didina. She hadn’t meant to, it certainly didn’t make her look any less suspicious, but seeing Cedric again created more problems than he could imagine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, so you <em>were</em> winking at us?” Didina raised an eyebrow, letting go of Kippi’s hand to cross her arms over her chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just at Kippi, actually,” Cedric chuckled, mirroring Didina as he looked over at Kippi, “Wasn’t sure you caught it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both of Didina’s eyebrows were raised now, as she looked down at Kippi. “You know each other?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cedric put a hand over his heart. “I’m wounded.” He teased, “You didn’t tell her about the incredible moment we shared?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Didina pursed her lips, turning her attention to Kippi. “She did not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi’s stomach churned. She was found out. What was she going to say now? How would she cover this up? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I…” Kippi started, unsure of where exactly her sentence was going to go. Suddenly, she could swear she felt another pair of eyes boring into her soul. She looked over at the girl with Cedric, the one she had briefly seen earlier that morning, who seemed to be analyzing her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t call it <em>incredible</em>, Ced,” The girl teased, shaking her head, her eyes still trained on Kippi. As it seemed no one was looking at her, she silently mouthed, <em>Follow my lead. </em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi, still under Didina’s gaze, gave a tiny nod at the girl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You only bumped into each other in the hallway,” The girl rolled her eyes, “Not really a love story for the ages, now, is it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cedric stared over at the girl in confusion, but he clearly knew her better than Kippi did, so he went along with it. “Well,” He began to cover, “<em>I</em> thought it was incredible. Swept you right off your feet, didn’t I?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi snorted. Laying it on awful thick, wasn’t he? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only because you bumped into me,” Kippi finally said. It was a half truth, saving Kippi from feeling too guilty about lying. “Nearly lost my balance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait-“ The boy beside Cedric started to speak, but Kippi had just managed to catch his girlfriend squeezing his hand tightly, a silent message to keep quiet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Didina seemed to buy it, her arms crossed tighter against her chest. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi shrugged, trying not to shrink under Didina’s gaze again, “It didn’t seem important.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ouch,” Cedric murmured, “Again, I’m wounded.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shut it, Ced,” The girl teased, before extending her hand toward Kippi and Didina, “I’m Genevieve,” She said, before gesturing to the boy beside her, “This is Wesley.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Didina,” Didina shook Genevieve’s hand, and then Wesley’s, before crossing her arms over her chest again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kippi,” Kippi smiled softly at them, doing the same. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway,” Genevieve shot Kippi a kind smile, “How about we find ourselves some Bowtruckles?”</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day had gone swimmingly, with Kippi enjoying the other classes Hogwarts had to offer. She hadn’t seen Cedric again, sitting in on classes with the other two houses. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Didina had been scheduled to sit in on different classes, separating her from Kippi for the rest of the day, leaving Kippi alone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, normally, being without her friends would drive Kippi absolutely mad. They brought her so much comfort as well as keeping her entertained. Without the presence of Didina or Florean, she just felt bored. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she entered Professor McGonagall’s classroom, she spotted Genevieve at a table near the back of the class, but Wesley nor Cedric were anywhere to be seen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi made a beeline for the seat next to her, placing her things gently on the floor beside her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi cleared her throat, in order to make her presence known. “May I sit here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Genevieve looked up from the sheet of parchment she had been scribbling on, her smile wide and inviting. “Of course you can!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Kippi settled onto the small bench, she cleared her throat. “Um, I just wanted to say thank you… You know, for earlier.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Genevieve looked back down at her parchment, her quill moving again as she wrote something down, “It’s really no problem.” She shrugged, her smile more soft and understanding now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You really saved me there,” Kippi let out a sigh, her eyebrows furrowing slightly, “How did you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s just say I’m very intuitive,” Genevieve answered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m serious, Genevieve.” Kippi’s eyebrows furrowed even deeper, “You don’t even know me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Genevieve stopped her scribbling and gave a light chuckle. “Alright, fine. You really want to know how I knew?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi only nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Genevieve turned her torso toward Kippi so she could look at the other girl fully. “You blanched at Cedric’s question, about not telling your friend? I watched all of the color drain out of your face.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi nodded again, slower this time, as Genevieve continued. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t hard to tell that you were hiding the fact that you entered the tournament. When you walked into the hall, you were constantly peeking over your shoulder, as if you were worried you might get caught.” Genevieve stated, matter-of-factly, “<em>And</em> you were alone. Your friend, Didina, was it? She doesn’t strike me as the type to let you do something like that alone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi cocked her head, her eyebrows raising, impressed with Genevieve’s deductions. She was entirely correct, and Kippi wondered if she was really that easy to read. Was there a chance that Didina knew?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think she caught on, Didina.” Genevieve mused, and Kippi’s eyebrows furrowed even deeper this time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure you’re not a mind reader?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Genevieve couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Like I said, just very intuitive.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi responded with a chuckle similar to Genevieve’s, shaking her head. “I would say so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t mean to pry,” Genevieve started, setting her quill down now, “But why is it such a big secret, anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A heavy sigh left Kippi’s lips as she crossed her arms over the table. “I don’t know,” She chewed her lip, “It really shouldn’t be. I keep telling myself that she, as well as my friend Florean, would have talked me out of it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would they?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi sighed again. “The more I think about it, the more I don’t think so.” She crossed her arms even tighter, hugging them closer to her body, “I think I might have utterly misjudged the situation.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi had had plenty of time to think about it, being without both Didina and Florean for the second half of the day. They had never been anything but supportive when it came to the things Kippi wanted to do. Why would now be any different? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The damage is already done, though,” Kippi breathed out, “I’ve already lied to them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Genevieve nodded, letting out a contemplative sigh. “I guess all you can do now is wait. I mean, unless you’d like to tell them, there’s not really a way they’d find out, unless you were chosen. Those odds are a little slim.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kippi thought about it. Genevieve made a good point; The chances <em>were</em> slim. Kippi knew most of her year and half of the year below her had entered, since they were old enough. She might not even be chosen, and then she would have worried so much for no reason. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“While in good conscience I don’t recommend lying to your friends,” Genevieve prefaced, “I know it’s a tough decision to make. But, really, you were brave enough to enter yourself into a deadly competition. Are your friends <em>really</em> scarier than that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Genevieve’s question hit Kippi harder than she had anticipated. Her friends <em>weren’t</em> scary, well, maybe Didina was a little scary, but there was no real, logical reason she would need to lie to them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In that moment, Kippi decided she would do it. She would own up to what she had done and apologize profusely and hope her friends would forgive her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was really too bad she didn’t get that chance before the ceremony began.</span>
</p>
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